Sam Burgess takes Wolves to a Grand Final

Sam Burgess has urged Warrington Wolves to “make the most” of their Grand Final opportunity after a dramatic 14-12 victory over Leeds Rhinos booked their place at Old Trafford.

The Wolves survived a tense Super League semi-final at AMT Headingley Stadium on Friday night, with Ewan Irwin’s 65th-minute penalty ultimately proving decisive. The sides had gone into half-time locked at 12-12 after James Bentley and Luke Yates crossed for Warrington, before Irwin’s third goal of the evening edged the visitors ahead.

It means Warrington will contest the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday 3 October with tickets available here.

For Burgess, reaching the showpiece was the fulfilment of an ambition the Wolves had carried throughout the campaign.

“Yeah, well, we're there now, so we've got to go and make the most of it,” said the Wolves head coach.

“Again, really proud of our group. We've had a great year together, very tough up and down.

“But we kept fighting and kept hanging in.

“Again, we're going to the Grand Final. That's what we set off to do at the start of the year.”

There was little comfort for Burgess during the closing stages at Headingley. With just two points separating the teams, he admitted the tension of knowing a Grand Final place was within touching distance had taken its toll.

“I was probably emotional too. I was nervous. I was totally nervous. I wanted to win so bad. I know the players did as well,” he said.

“I know the players really want another week together.

“I want them to experience that as a group together, getting to this final week in the season. I think it'll do all of them a world of good for the development of them as players and us as a club. I think it's important that we've made it this week.

“Now we've got to do our best for the opportunity.”

Attention will soon turn fully towards Old Trafford, but Burgess intends to keep Warrington’s preparations as familiar as possible while allowing his players to savour what they have achieved.

“Yeah, the week's going to be relatively normal.

“We want to enjoy it. We want to enjoy the week and make the most of it and get our best performance on the field. So, really, I want to do everything this week that's going to help that.”

Warrington Wolves will go into next Saturday’s Betfred Super League Grand Final looking to lift the title for the very first time. You can join the Wolves by getting your tickets to Old Trafford here!